The Aquila frame looks and rides well but you will be going backwards on components, especially the fork and shifters. I suppose you could get one and upgrade as you wear parts out but you'll quickly overcapitalise such a basic bike doing so.

...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic.London Boy 29/12/2011

Someone mentioned about 2013 Reid range coming out soon and to wait. When could this possibly be?. If it's not too far away I may wait and just ride my MTB till then.

I saw it one the Reid cycles Facebook page. They said the 2013 bikes should be coming out soon, they said it would be available between now and Christmas. Hopefully they will have a preorder sale like they had with the other bikes when they first came out.

Cheers, will keep an eye out for any info...

Philipthelam wrote:Anyway in my opinion I wouldn't want to buy an older bike with Sora group set simply because this year (for 2013 bikes) a new sora group set is out and it looks a lot better, it even has the same style shifters as in the higher group sets, they have the extra lever to shift as opposed to the thing that you have to press

I'm less and less likely to get anything 2nd hand.. Once bitten twice shy as they say..

Alistair wrote:Maybe you have been stung by second hand things in the past, but you will be stung harder by something that is geared too big and depressingly cheap and nasty. It isn't a good deal if you don't want to ride it.

I'm at the stage i don't want o ride my MTB as its a pain in the proverbial up hills.. The gearing on the Reid bikes is of concern i admit, I guess have to hop on one and see how i feel on it. If all said and done I don't like the Reids then i will have no choice in spending more I guess..

Mulger bill wrote:The Aquila frame looks and rides well but you will be going backwards on components, especially the fork and shifters. I suppose you could get one and upgrade as you wear parts out but you'll quickly overcapitalise such a basic bike doing so.

Yes thats true.. I don't want to buy a bike and then have to start forking out $$$ to upgrade it. I'm caught between a Rock and a Reid Bike.. So to speak.

Just your average Cycling Hack rider.. Trying to Keep fit. Owner of a 1990's Konya MTB..

Answering the ops original question instead of selling him a second hand bike he doesn't want. I had an Osprey as my first road bike. I owned it for about 4 months and rode it for about 2000km. I had no issues with it and it was as reliable as any bike. Still needed the normal routine maintenance but nothing out of the ordinary happened. I sold it for a good price. I got rid of it because I got the cycling bug and upgraded to a full carbon frame. From what your post was about I would consider this bike suitable for you. If you want to stretch another 100 bucks I am pretty sure you can get a wide variety of name brands. As per the for mentioned bikes. My mate got the Trek 1.1 which he is happy with as another option. All will do what you want. Beware the real downside to the cycling community is that there are some real brand snobs out there who will bash a brand with out ever riding it.

I'm at the stage i don't want o ride my MTB as its a pain in the proverbial up hills.

I think there's an argument to be made that you should keep riding up the hills until you get better at it. My guess is that the bike will make much less difference at least at this stage compared to regularly riding hills for a few weeks.

Yagan wrote:All will do what you want. Beware the real downside to the cycling community is that there are some real brand snobs out there who will bash a brand with out ever riding it.

It has nothing to do with brand snobbery - if it did I wouldn't have suggested a second-hand Giant.

It has more to do with choosing something well engineered and manafactured that might last a bit longer than four months before it fails, or you need to upgrade. There are a bunch of reids in one of my offices - the single speeds look fine, but the geared bikes are just very basic... especially when compared to some of the second-hand options.

At the end of the day i don't have to ride it, so feel free to disregard my advice!

...There are a bunch of reids in one of my offices - the single speeds look fine, but the geared bikes are just very basic...

Kinda contradicting there. There is a difference between 'very basic' and rubbish. Very basic to some people is perfectly serviceable, rubbish is not serviceable to anyone.

Replace Reid, Giant and Cannondale with Great Wall, Holden and Volkswagen and repeat the conversation in motoring context, same result. Some will be happy with Great Wall based on $ and warranty, others wouldn't touch them with a barge pole (me included for the next 5-10yrs anyway). Bikes are vastly simpler and much easier to change parts to improve, knowing that the parts may be taken to a new bike later.

bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

Alistair wrote:It has more to do with choosing something well engineered and manafactured that might last a bit longer than four months before it fails, or you need to upgrade. There are a bunch of reids in one of my offices - the single speeds look fine, but the geared bikes are just very basic... especially when compared to some of the second-hand options.

At the end of the day i don't have to ride it, so feel free to disregard my advice!

+1

If the OP has some concerns about buying a used bike it may be advisable for him to take a more experienced cyclist with him to both provide advice on the quality of the bike as well as buying one that is the correct size for him.

I'm at the stage i don't want o ride my MTB as its a pain in the proverbial up hills.

I think there's an argument to be made that you should keep riding up the hills until you get better at it. My guess is that the bike will make much less difference at least at this stage compared to regularly riding hills for a few weeks.

I agree with this... to a point. I upgraded my bike to a carbon frame jobbie and wanted a runabout bike that would take the baby seat and noodle along with the kids. I grabbed a boat anchor off ebay and hated getting on it from the start. It felt like stepping out of a sports car into a truck. So I didn't ride it (ended up chucking it on hard rubbish collection). I know it's a bit of an extreme example but it was my experience.

If you love riding the bike you'll ride it more, and that will make more of a difference to your hill climbing ability than not riding a heavier bike you hate riding.

Yagan wrote:Answering the ops original question instead of selling him a second hand bike he doesn't want. I had an Osprey as my first road bike. I owned it for about 4 months and rode it for about 2000km. I had no issues with it and it was as reliable as any bike. Still needed the normal routine maintenance but nothing out of the ordinary happened. I sold it for a good price. I got rid of it because I got the cycling bug and upgraded to a full carbon frame. From what your post was about I would consider this bike suitable for you. If you want to stretch another 100 bucks I am pretty sure you can get a wide variety of name brands. As per the for mentioned bikes. My mate got the Trek 1.1 which he is happy with as another option. All will do what you want. Beware the real downside to the cycling community is that there are some real brand snobs out there who will bash a brand with out ever riding it.

Cheers, I'm quite happy to read everyone's opinions. As a self proclaimed Newbie to road bikes any information good or bad on certain bikes is indeed valuable to me. As for the Brand snobs, thats fine everyone has their preffered brands. Thank you for your insight in the Osprey. As all I'm after is a basic level bike to do a few casual rides that won't break down at the first bump in the road.

Carriage wrote:I think there's an argument to be made that you should keep riding up the hills until you get better at it. My guess is that the bike will make much less difference at least at this stage compared to regularly riding hills for a few weeks.

I went out for a ride yesterday around 10km round trip, forced myself to go over a few hills instead of a flat route. I hope that a lighter road bike with less tyre footprint will make it easier for me.

greyhoundtom wrote:If the OP has some concerns about buying a used bike it may be advisable for him to take a more experienced cyclist with him to both provide advice on the quality of the bike as well as buying one that is the correct size for him.

Unfortunately, none of my mates are nothing more than casual riders, therefore i would prefer for my own peace of mind to go with the new option.

usernameforme wrote:If the OP is still looking for a budget bike then HASA, Polygon and Azzuri are worth a look

Have to add them to my list. Although the budget I want to spend is around the Reid Osprey area I'm not limiting myself to only that brand... Cheers.

Ozkaban wrote:I agree with this... to a point. I upgraded my bike to a carbon frame jobbie and wanted a runabout bike that would take the baby seat and noodle along with the kids. I grabbed a boat anchor off ebay and hated getting on it from the start. It felt like stepping out of a sports car into a truck. So I didn't ride it (ended up chucking it on hard rubbish collection). I know it's a bit of an extreme example but it was my experience.

I hate riding my MTB cos its heavy yes, especially up hills. A lot of that is due to my lack of bike fitness. Ideally my MTB will be mainly for short trips to and from local shops. I rode it to local Bunnings the other day and locked it against a sign post. Was not in slightest concerned that anyone would steal it. Read a lot of posts here of stolen expensive bikes. No way would i buy one and leave it outside, even locked. For that reason I wouldn't throw it out. Then again if I get the road bike bug you never know

Just your average Cycling Hack rider.. Trying to Keep fit. Owner of a 1990's Konya MTB..

Only 5 days to go and Goldcross cycles (Epping) re-opens... Will pop in and check out what they have. Perhaps test ride something there.. On a side note, i'm now unemployed, so I may have to adhere to a $500 limit. The deal of a bike(Osprey) with all the free extras is looking extremely good to me at this stage..

In any case no rush to buy the first bike I see..

Just your average Cycling Hack rider.. Trying to Keep fit. Owner of a 1990's Konya MTB..

The free gear while better than no free gear, isn't the greatest. The bottle didn't let water out that well, even with a good squeeze and tasted worse than your average plastic bottle. The pump isn't rated to 100psi if I remember correctly, which is the pressure I run at. The lights, while they do work, aren't bright enough for night riding. I do have them on my bike as a backup/daytime running occasionally. I can't comment on the lock as they didn't have one in stock when I got my bike and given I already had a D lock, it was too much of a bother to go get one when they came in.

...There are a bunch of reids in one of my offices - the single speeds look fine, but the geared bikes are just very basic...

Kinda contradicting there. There is a difference between 'very basic' and rubbish. Very basic to some people is perfectly serviceable, rubbish is not serviceable to anyone.

Replace Reid, Giant and Cannondale with Great Wall, Holden and Volkswagen and repeat the conversation in motoring context, same result. Some will be happy with Great Wall based on $ and warranty, others wouldn't touch them with a barge pole (me included for the next 5-10yrs anyway). Bikes are vastly simpler and much easier to change parts to improve, knowing that the parts may be taken to a new bike later.

"Very basic" was a euphemism.

I don't understand why anybody would buy outdated, heavy, poorly matched and low quality products, when something infinately better is also available. Like I said though, i don't really mind either way as i don't have to ride it.

It's because the cost to benefit works out that way for the buyer. Things like friction shifting and freewheels still work. The bikes aren't heavy compared to kmart/cruiser bikes. There's also the concern for some people (including me) that cycling will be given up on, so the fact that more expensive parts are cheaper in the long run doesn't matter. Of course, you have to enjoy it to keep going, but I think they're good enough for that purpose.

I can tell you from personal experience that riding a well made light bike, and one where you do not have to keep adjusting the derailleur’s add infinitum makes you really enjoy riding your bike.

I went through two boat anchors one with an alloy frame and with low grade Shimano equipment before buying my current ride, and I wished I had discovered this site, and asked the same question the OP has asked prior to buying those two.

I can tell you from personal experience that riding a well made light bike, and one where you do not have to keep adjusting the derailleur’s add infinitum makes you really enjoy riding your bike.

I agree riding a bike where you don't have to stuff around to get it to work makes things more enjoyable. However, I haven't had problems with shifting on my bike. The rear shifter is indexed and the front is friction, but there's only 2 chainrings so it's not an issue. To be fair, I haven't ridden it that much all up, but the way it's going, if it does start getting crappy due to wear, I'll still feel I got my $250 out of it.

The only issues I've had are the rim tape being not very good which I replaced along with the tubes, and the spoke tension was a bit loose after riding it for a bit. I took it back and they fixed it up. I believe they've changed to a better rim tape now anyway.

I suppose given that I'm riding for fitness the weight is less of an issue because extra resistance isn't that big a deal, but also losing weight myself does the same thing.

Carriage wrote:The free gear while better than no free gear, isn't the greatest. The bottle didn't let water out that well, even with a good squeeze and tasted worse than your average plastic bottle. The pump isn't rated to 100psi if I remember correctly, which is the pressure I run at. The lights, while they do work, aren't bright enough for night riding. I do have them on my bike as a backup/daytime running occasionally. I can't comment on the lock as they didn't have one in stock when I got my bike and given I already had a D lock, it was too much of a bother to go get one when they came in.

I have a reid condor if I haven't mentioned it btw.

I guess most freebies today are all pretty low quality.. I already have a decent water bottle, pump and lock.. As for the lights strobe LEDS can only go so far. I don't do any night riding. What do you think of your Condor?.

greyhoundtom wrote:I went through two boat anchors one with an alloy frame and with low grade Shimano equipment before buying my current ride, and I wished I had discovered this site, and asked the same question the OP has asked prior to buying those two.

my MTB is a Boat anchor with the boat being dragged behind me. I like this forum as you can learn from other people's experiences.

Just your average Cycling Hack rider.. Trying to Keep fit. Owner of a 1990's Konya MTB..

As mentioned I like to set a $500 limit, however I will need to check these bikes out b4 i decide on what I am willing to spend and what I like. Cell bikes are reasonable but I cant actually go and check them out as they are in Sydney.. At this rate I may end up with a Kids Toy Tricycle...

Just your average Cycling Hack rider.. Trying to Keep fit. Owner of a 1990's Konya MTB..

Looking at your final four, I do think you can scratch the last two of your list when it comes to value for dollars, and between the Reid Osprey and the Bauer RS100 the only reason I would lean towards the RS100 is because the front chain rings will give you an easier ride up hills.

Then on the other side of the coin the Reid is certainly a nicer looking bike. (For me anyway)

Either way be prepared for a wheel upgrade in the long term as both bikes have rather heavy wheelsets that will make climbing hills and/or fast acceleration more sluggish.

However when it comes to the final crunch you need to ride both bikes to be really sure that this bike is the one for you.

PS. When it comes to bike size, going by my own experience, is that a bike 25mm too small is better than a bike 25mm to big, so try both the bike that may be recommended to you by the bike store, and also one the next size smaller just to see how it feels.

greyhoundtom wrote:However when it comes to the final crunch you need to ride both bikes to be really sure that this bike is the one for you.

PS. When it comes to bike size, going by my own experience, is that a bike 25mm too small is better than a bike 25mm to big, so try both the bike that may be recommended to you by the bike store, and also one the next size smaller just to see how it feels.

Yeah i really need to see these bikes up close to get an idea what i like and what I don't.. Has to be a balance of what I like the look of and how it rides I guess... My MTB was purchased from Rays cycles in Preston(No longer there). They measured me by standing over the bike with feet flat on the floor. Problem is when I have to stop on a sloping surface I have to lean the bike over while straddling the cross bar. I'm pretty sure they just gave me the closest size they had even if it was slightly oversize. What did I know?..

Just your average Cycling Hack rider.. Trying to Keep fit. Owner of a 1990's Konya MTB..